Coooold...?

[el_fefes]

Hey everyone, i don't have a block heater cord, and i've heard that a good alternative is to buy a really powerful battery...wat do you guys think is best, and will a good battery start even in say...-30?

[CelicaST-162]

good battery...hmm buy one with over 700 CCA's

[hjr]

Originally posted by CelicaST-162
good battery...hmm buy one with over 700 CCA's the Cold cranking amps totally depends on the car. the stock battery for my car is 780cca. But ya, a bigger battery couldnt hurt (except the wallet).

[SwitchBlade]

If your battery doesnt freeze you will be ok. You can always buy a battery warmer which will keep it from freezing. They have some gel batteries out now, but i dont know how resisitant they are to freezing plus they are expensive. Some other options are a inline heater or a magnetic oil pan heater.

[FiveFreshFish]

A battery warmer will help keep the battery strong when it gets really cold.

If you CAN get a block heater for your car, that's the way to go.

[whatthe]

Ideally keeping some kind of heat to the lifeblood of your engine over and above -30 would be ideal. It takes longer than people realize for oil to fully reach every part of the motor. Especially -30 weather where everything is pretty much frickin' rock solid frozen.

[illeagle]

On my corolla it had no block heater, was carborated, no battery warmer, and I used a chepo wal-mart battery. It started every day. some days over -40 in knee deep snow. All i had to do was pump it fast while cranking. In your case, Do you wanna take the chance? it worked for me. bigger battery won't hurt.

[Ichigo]

Get a rad hose heater.. It's easier to install.. And people claim it works better thant he conventional block heater..

[sxtasy]

using a thinner oil will help you out as well

[Primer_Drift]

1000cca here .. damn Rx7..

[1badPT]

yeah my engine always has 5w30 in it so it has to get to like -40 or -60 before it starts to thicken, never had problems starting it up or even my previous car which had the same engine

are you having problems getting it started or is this just some sort of preventative maintenance project? ;)

[ryder_23]

Originally posted by illeagle
On my corolla it had no block heater, was carborated, no battery warmer, and I used a chepo wal-mart battery. It started every day. some days over -40 in knee deep snow. All i had to do was pump it fast while cranking. In your case, Do you wanna take the chance? it worked for me. bigger battery won't hurt.

Just remember, its always better to be safe then sorry.

My friend did somewhat of the same thing, one cold day in january, his car wouldnt start, parents were no where close to home, had to call a cab to get to school(live outside the city, no busses anywhere), was late for his diploma exam, still under 1hr tho...and had one hell of a cab ride to pay for...

[cobber112879]

At -40 5w30 wil still take even minutes to reach every part of the engine. Synthetic oil will give you a little better cold cranking RPM, however you still should use some method of block, oil, or coolant heating. A huge percentage of engine wear ocuurs in Canada by no engine heating in the winter. A battery with a large CCA will help you start your car, but damage is still being done.

[cobber112879]

Why don't you just get a new cord?

[Khyron]

Hrm I mentioned in another thread that VW recalled all uninstalled oil pan heaters (cause they were not working well) and since I destroyed mine I have nothing. Car starts fine in the cold but less wear is better (starts so much smoother if it's been plugged in).

What 3rd party heaters are best and are generic enough to work on most cars? I'm assuming keeping the oil warm is the most important?

Khyron

[maximus]

Since we're on this subject, can you buy a replacement plug? For some reason my car came with the plug cut off of the cord. Can you attach one of those generic ones that you buy to fix extension cords (big ugly ones)?

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by SwitchBlade
If your battery doesnt freeze you will be ok. You can always buy a battery warmer which will keep it from freezing. They have some gel batteries out now, but i dont know how resisitant they are to freezing plus they are expensive. Some other options are a inline heater or a magnetic oil pan heater.

This is what I use on my DSM now...and IMO works fine for me..Until I get my parking brake cables fixed...my Compustar is outta comission...


Originally posted by Ichigo
Get a rad hose heater.. It's easier to install.. And people claim it works better thant he conventional block heater..

Used one of these on an older car I owned...and it worked GREAT...I loved it...If I didnt get the magnetic one I am using on my DSM for free, I would have purchased another one of the in line heaters...



Originally posted by maximus
Since we're on this subject, can you buy a replacement plug? For some reason my car came with the plug cut off of the cord. Can you attach one of those generic ones that you buy to fix extension cords (big ugly ones)?

Yes you can buy the plug ends...Totem, Home Depot, or any Auto Parts Supplier carry them...